Domestic violence

The National Football League has found itself on the wrong end of unfavorable publicity recently, most of it stemming from the league’s longtime stance of doing little to punish players who are convicted of domestic violence. A video of Baltimore Ravens player Ray Rice punching his then-girlfriend (she’s now his wife) in an elevator, knocking her to the floor in a violent gesture, brought the issue to the forefront. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has caught considerable heat from those who say he shoved the issue under a rug until the video forced him to take action. The same charges have been leveled against Ravens’ owners and administrators. In our opinion, the criticism has been valid.

Domestic violence has for too long been underplayed across this country, and South Carolina is one of the worst states when it comes to men abusing women, nearly always ranking in the top five in incidents of abuse. Tuesday marked the 17th observance of the Silent Witness Domestic Violence event in Columbia, where 46 silhouettes were unveiled, representing those killed in the state last year. A 47th represented the unknown victims of such violence, of which there are undoubtedly many.

A legislative committee is now at work attempting to write a bill which would help reduce domestic violence. It’s sorely needed, and the public spotlight should shine brightly on this problem in an attempt to help reduce such violence.